Chapter 667: Fortress Defense (3)
Golden and black pupils slitted across blood–red eyes turned toward me. The eerie rasp of scales over stone echoed on the floor.
King of Predation. Being on the Filial Duty Addicts’ side and also my personal handler, I still couldn’t tell whether I was supposed to be wary of him or glad to see him. All the more so when even the Unfilial Children weren’t fully on my side. They’d set this board up filthy as hell.
“Like… this…”
I wanted to ask if he was even allowed to show up like this, but my voice just wouldn’t come out. Instead, a ragged, wheezing breath scattered into the air.
“You cannot know what the Fish has done. But word does spread of what value its help held.”
“…Help.”
If it was help, he meant to Seong Hyunjae, obviously. With that guy’s personality, he wouldn’t have easily accepted anyone stepping in openly to assist him. More importantly, I was supposed to be the representative for the Unfilial Children side, wasn’t I? The snake’s eyes narrowed in a mocking squint.
“One may give a certain amount of aid to the Awakener they have been assigned. If the assigned Transcendent is willing to accept the cost, they may offer more than that limit. That is why roles were swapped in the name of fairness. Yet what a ridiculous spectacle.”
The long tip of his claw prodded at my hair like he was flicking it.
“And it is not a sight I find pleasing.”
His already low, rough voice sank even deeper, turning ominous. As the King of Predation showed clear displeasure, my shoulders flinched on their own.
“Like this, I too am no more than a toy used in the Fish’s little scheme.”
He might be greedy for the shards of the world, but he didn’t seem like the type to enjoy being jerked around by other Transcendents. I didn’t know him that well, but judging by his attitude so far, that’s how he was.
‘If it pisses you off, just flip the whole table. You’ve got the power to do it anyway. Come on, just flip it.’
“Little one. As your handler, I shall give you a small assistance.”
Ssk–– The scales lightly covering the back of the King of Predation’s hand split open. Red drops of blood welled up from the gap.
“Drink.”
“…What.”
What the hell was he saying out of nowhere. This was a world where even adults got burned if they just swallowed whatever someone handed them, never mind kids. Seeing the way I obviously hated the idea, the King of Predation explained in a bored tone.
“When one’s mastery over poison reaches its peak, the opposite also becomes possible. My blood is the most extreme of venoms, and so can be the finest of elixirs.”
…Did that even make sense? I’d heard that a tonic taken wrong turns into poison, but this was a new one.
“Potions and skills will not suffice. Right now your body is soaked through with mana. You must reinforce the flesh itself for it to endure.”
The disgust was still there, but I nodded. It wasn’t like I was in any position to pick and choose. At the very least I had to hold out until the bet ended, whether we won or lost.
‘Snakes are considered health food, I guess.’
Who knew how true that kind of “stamina food” nonsense usually was, but this was a Transcendent snake. Different league. I opened my mouth and caught the falling blood.
Surprisingly, it was sweet. There was even a faint pomegranate–like scent. Warmth spread through my cold body. The fog in my head cleared, and the over–revved, prickling feeling of mana racing through my body eased, leaving me feeling refreshed.
“Do not grow greedy.”
At the amusement in the King of Predation’s voice, I blinked. At some point I’d been staring fixedly at his hand. Or more precisely, at the fading wound and disappearing blood. I swallowed, my mouth watering.
“Every overreacher has been swallowed by me.”
He spoke as if this was far from the first time this had happened. My initial revulsion was gone without a trace, and if I’d had the ability, I would’ve wanted to drink more. So this was why people went on and on about tonics.
“…I just thought it worked better than I expected.”
“Perhaps. But you have only returned to normal. If you push past this and gnaw at your very lifespan, my blood will no longer be enough to restore you.”
“How do you restore lost lifespan, then?”
“You may claim another’s life as your own, turn back the time of the flesh itself, or entrust your lifespan to one of higher standing.”
As expected, there weren’t many methods I personally could use. Still, he had said my lifespan had come out more or less intact for some reason.
“Thank you.”
Thanks to him, I’d have more than enough strength to last until sunset. Outside, the battle remained the same. As long as coordination through the Teacher skill was possible and Noah was providing support from the rear, there was little chance things would become dangerous. Even if a tricky SS–class monster appeared now and then, that didn’t change.
[–Gwooor!]
A two–headed dragonkin chased after a Hunter. The Hunter with a dash skill accelerated, and the SS–class dragonkin matched him with terrifying speed. The moment it was about to catch up—
[–Gruk!]
The dragonkin’s foot slipped. Noah’s forced blessing. Caught off guard by the sudden buff, the dragonkin lost control of its body and slammed into the ground. Hunters stabbed their weapons in the instant they’d been waiting for.
Every monster that entered the domain was blocked from using skills for thirty minutes. Even SS–class ones weren’t that threatening under those circumstances. And against monsters that were powerful even without skills…
[Bite, puppy!]
Shishio, with a flame buff from Peace, stepped up. The effect from my kid skill had long since faded, but his defense still surpassed S–class.
‘Now I really can relax a little.’
The light orbs drifting all over the fortress were beautiful. No matter how amazing Seong Hyunjae was, there was no way he’d perfectly clean up every monster rushing in from all directions. Once dragonkin appeared, his sub team had definitely started taking hits.
Cho Hwawoon’s crew, backed by Chatterbox, weren’t pushovers either, but they didn’t have the Teacher skill. Nine times out of ten, our score would be higher.
Zero deaths.
If things kept up until the sun was fully down—
– Grrr.
“…!!”
My back snapped straight off the rest I’d been leaning against. A monster’s growl.
“So filthy.”
It reached my ears without going through any skill. The King of Predation frowned. In a far corner of the wide room, where shadows pooled, a monster’s eyes gleamed. I sucked in a short breath.
“They’re all still alive.”
Not a single one of my Hunters. Not one of my people had died. And yet a monster had gotten inside. My hand clenched into a fist.
“I am not pleased by this either.”
Someone spoke. A voice I didn’t recognize.
“Sorry, honey.”
“…This is cheating.”
“A small twist bought with a price. The monsters’ rank isn’t even that high. And King of Predation.”
The figure in the shadows looked at the snake.
“You’re the handler. You can’t interfere in the wager.”
“If I were to interfere, we would lose immediately. However, little one.”
The King of Predation turned his gaze to me.
“Will you be able to walk out alive?”
Tap, tap. Claws clicked against stone. I hurriedly used the Sprout skill.
Three wolf–type monsters. A–class. Not that high my ass.
Grace was off the table. The room was annoyingly wide, and the distance to the door was just under a hundred meters. Fortunately, I had my lynx set equipped, so if I transformed into a Delroux, I could reach it in around five seconds.
‘An adult Delroux is too big.’
My stats were what they were; with a full transformation I might slam my head into the ceiling and knock myself out instead. Maybe because they were wary of the King of Predation, the monsters hadn’t approached yet. But that wouldn’t last long.
‘If I go cat–form and get bitten even once, that’s it.’
I drew in a long breath. They didn’t look like they had poison. I turned off Poison Resistance and swallowed a Hunter–grade painkiller.
“I can’t lose here.”
If I were alone, maybe. But people were fighting their hearts out outside. I couldn’t let it end like this. No way in hell.
The snake’s lips curved in a loose smile, then his mismatched pupils sharpened as he looked toward the presence in the dark.
“There will be no further foolish tricks.”
I braced my legs. The door was straight ahead. My hand gripped the end of the throne’s armrest. I checked outside. Things were almost wrapped up. Just the edge of the sun was still visible, barely clinging to the horizon.
Thud!
I kicked off the throne with all my strength. At the same time, I released the Teacher skill and immediately re–cast it on the three monsters.
[–Kyarruk!]
The backlash slammed into me, but three A–class targets were manageable. I was SSS–class now, after all! I felt the wolves’ movements. Even so, not enough for me to dodge purely by reflex.
The instant they lunged at me—
[–Grr?]
I slid in a long, low dive, activating my stealth skill. In the heightened senses of battle, it was hard to fool S–class, and even A–class, but I had the lynx item buffs on top.
While the wolves snapped at empty air, bewildered, I rolled to my feet and sprinted toward the door.
[–Grk!]
Their ears pricked. Of course they’d be the extra–sensitive kind. The faint footsteps my stealth couldn’t completely erase were enough for them to start tracking me.
Skkkrt, the claws behind me scraped across the floor. The door rushed closer. But their attack would catch me before I reached it. One of the wolves caught up in an instant and leaped at where my invisible body was.
I twisted and dropped to my back. At the same time, I drew the pre–charged gun and pulled the trigger.
Thump!
[–Kyaaaeng!]
The wolf’s head burst from the S–class magic bullet. But there were still two left.
One of them clamped down on my leg dead–on. There was no getting free by strength. I dropped stealth. The remaining wolf growled at me, now visible. Fangs bared, drool dripping in thick strings.
“Hey.”
I smiled at it. I told you, didn’t I? Today, I smell especially good and taste even better.
Fresh Leaves (F)
Ripe Fruit (F)
I focused both skills into my left arm below the elbow. I had mana inscriptions and admin privileges besides. I’d gotten a lot more skilled at handling mana. An F–rank skill was more than manageable used like this.
Wolves eat fruit too. And a monster wouldn’t hate a special fruit packed full of mana, right?
[–Snff!]
The wolf reacted quickly. Without hesitation, it chomped down on my left hand. The one holding my leg couldn’t resist the tempting scent either; it released my leg and rammed into its packmate, trying to get at my left hand.
I didn’t miss the opening and leveled the gun.
Bang!
Blood splattered. A gun with a short charge time couldn’t one–shot an A–class monster. But.
“…Ng.”
It could sever an F–rank arm.
My elbow tore apart and everything below it dropped off. The two monsters started fighting over their prize. Even with the painkiller starting to kick in, my vision swam. But my arm would be gone in seconds. There was no time to hesitate.
I pushed myself up. The bitten leg faltered under me. Even so, I ran for the door. It wasn’t like moving on a bad leg was a new experience for me; I didn’t even stumble.
My hand hit the door and I was flung out as if launched. The cool air under the darkening sky rushed over my entire body.
[–Grrwooo!]
“Mr. Yujin!”
“Chief Han!”
Familiar voices shouted. Maybe because the Teacher skill had cut off, they’d been waiting right at the door.
“Healer!”
Noah hurried over and caught me. His healing skill spread through my arm and leg.
[–Keng!]
Peace burst out after me and snapped the pursuing wolf’s neck in a single bite. The other one had its head crushed in Shishio’s hands.
“My skills can’t regenerate lost limbs!”
“Mine can’t either…”
“I could if the part was still intact.”
Regrowing entirely missing body parts took at least an S–class healer. And S–class healers almost never joined raids. Obviously, there wasn’t one here.
“Mr. Noah.”
“Yes, Mr. Yujin. With a top–grade potion we could—”
“No. I’m not supposed to use potions carelessly.”
The bleeding had stopped and the wounds had closed. Just in case, it was better to leave things as they were. Getting treatment from the Mermaid Queen and charging her for it seemed like the smarter play. Not to mention it would be a waste of potions. Who knew what else might happen later.
Leaning on Noah, I pushed myself upright. The moon, risen in place of the sun, entered my sight.
[The sun has set.]
A message window popped up. Now that we could repair the fortress without spending points, I turned the lights on. Torches flared to life in the spaces between the drifting light orbs. Hunters stood along the broken walls and towers.
Everyone was alive. Their bodies were wrecked, but I couldn’t help smiling.
[Scores are being tallied.]
[1,000 points]
It looked like a message window had appeared in front of the Hunters too. Everyone fell silent. My throat was dry.
We had definitely been ahead, but I’d been injured. The King’s wounds cost more points than those of affiliated Hunters.
Still. After all this, there was no way—
The numbers dropped rapidly. A short, long moment passed, and then another message appeared.
[391 points : 391 points]
[Result: Draw]
The breath I’d been holding finally burst out. We hadn’t won. But.
“Everyone, we protected it.”
Not just the fortress. The world these monsters would have overrun. And the shard of the world that had been bet on this game.
Some blinked. Then others shouted in joy. Smiles spread, laughter followed. As they shook off the tension, the chatter blossomed.
“I’ve never killed this many dragonkin before.”
“That toad was huge. Stuff like that could’ve showed up in the city.”
“Turns out SS–class is doable.”
“Doable my ass, if we’d been alone we’d have said hi to Charon ages ago.”
Being the high–rank Hunters they were, they didn’t seem all that bothered by my missing arm. Lose a limb or two while raiding, it happens. For high–rank Hunters, as long as you were alive, it wasn’t that hard to go see an S–class healer. But.
“Didn’t the system say monsters couldn’t get inside?”
Shishio frowned. A few of the more quick–witted Hunters also had dark expressions.
“Yes. But they don’t want us to win.”
The chatter died again as they turned to me. Faces hardened; a few curses slipped out.
“From here on, they’ll keep breaking the rules to interfere. It’s only going to get harder.”
Our opponents were Transcendents. Beings that could do basically anything they pleased.
“Even so, I came out alive.”
Even with all their big, important meddling. I smiled again.
“It’s not like dungeons ever asked for our opinion before they popped. Let them do whatever. We’ll survive anyway.”
Somehow. All the way to the end.
It hadn’t been easy. I could easily have died right there and lost in the most pathetic way. But in spite of that, I felt oddly clear inside.
If we’d won without interference, I would’ve been happy. But drawing even after being directly sabotaged? We hadn’t lost.
It felt like I’d finally found a tiny crack in what had always seemed like a solid, unscalable wall.
Small, sure. But a path I could still wedge myself into and force wider.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt